The submarine S-5 had left Boston on its maiden voyage on Aug. 30, 1920, under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Charles M. Cooke, who later told the Philadelphia Ledger, “We left Boston last Monday on what was to be a seventy-two-hour endurance run to Baltimore. Everything was functioning satisfactorily, and we had already made a speed run, a five-hour submergence run and had come back to the surface and charged our batteries and air flasks.

“On Wednesday, shortly after noon, in the ordinary routine of practice, the signal was given for a crash dive.